The preference for processed food is growing rapidly in Thailand where consumers want easy-to-use packaging, according to a Canadean report entitled Latest trends and key issues in the Thailand retail packaging market.

The consumption of prepared meals in Thailand is forecast to rise at a compound annual growth rate of 9.8%, while other South East Asian countries, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, are only expecting respective growths of 6.0% and 2.3%.

Canadean says that this boost in organized retail means that packaging materials and equipment manufacturers need to keep up with demand.

For instance, the growing popularity of processed food and packaged water means that demand for rigid plastic packaging will grow twice as fast during 2013–2016 as demand for paper and board packaging.

Lightweighting can be used to reduce the overall cost of the product, providing benefits for both the consumer and the manufacturer.